“This is a celebration of Russian military power, which Putin is using to undermine US national security interests across the globe.”
President Donald Trump has been avoiding the press this week but Friday morning he spent about 25 minutes talking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House. Trump’s remarks covered a lot of ground, among them were his eyebrow-raising remarks that President Vladimir Putin has invited him to attend Russia’s May Military Victory parade at the Kremlin, and he wants to go.
“President Putin invited me,” Trump told reporters. “It’s a very big deal.”
Russia is not an ally of the U.S. and in fact has been described as America’s top enemy.
The parade “is a celebration of Russian military power, which Putin is using to undermine US national security interests across the globe,” says CNN’s Jim Sciutto.
Trump’s clear devotion to Putin has been a disturbing hallmark of his presidency. Putin is one of the few leaders President Trump has never criticized, many say, and Trump’s actions have been to Putin’s advantage time and time again. Trump’s pullout of U.S. Forces from Syria and his abandonment of the Kurds is the latest in a long line of pro-Putin actions. His refusal to accept that Russia attacked the U.S. 2016 election that put him in the Oval Office is another that has left America open to even greater foreign influence.
Here’s how people are reacting on social media to Trump’s desire to attend the Kremlin’s military parade with Putin.